Chapter 178
Ryan took the stuffed animal from his daughter as her mother picks her up while she is kicking her legs and trying to get out of her mother's hold. ''No like you mama. No like baby. I your baby!'' She continued as Alex restraints her and waits for her to calm down.
''Phoebe Grace Booth, listen to me. Hey look at me.'' Alex tried and she looks up at her mother with teary eyes. ''I'm sorry if you don't like me right now. And that you're not happy about the baby. But I still love you, so much.'' She explained maintaining eye contact with her daughter. Phoebe sat still making them think she was over it when she leaned over towards her father and crawled into his lap. ''No like you mama. My dada.'' She continued and buried her face in the crook of her father's neck. Alex sighed deeply not knowing what else to do with her daughter, as she got up and walked over to the kitchen to finish dinner. trying to stop her daughter from wining she gets her bottle and walks back over to the couch to hand it to her, but Phoebe swats her mother's hand away.
''Hey that's not nice.'' Ryan reprimanded looking at the one and a half year old. She got off from her fathers lap and dragged her bag across the floor with her pink blanket towards the door and sat down behind the front door. But she got up again quickly retrieving her bottle from her mother's hands and made her way back to her seat at the door.
''Phoebe why are you sitting at the door? Where are you going?'' Alex asked
''Nana and Gwamma and Papa Jo.'' She whined taking a sip of the milk in her pink bottle.
''Okay, well don't you want to eat dinner first before you go to them?'' Alex asked but Phoebe didn't move. She was determined to get out of her parent's house and move in with her grandparents. But when supper was done Ryan sat down on the floor at the door with his daughter as the two of them ate dinner on the floor, in a conversation where it seemed like she was laughing and chatting again forgetting that she was mad at them.
Alex's phone rang and she moved out of the kitchen towards the hallway when she noticed Brandon's caller ID, to take the phone call in a more private way. Not wanting her husband to find out what she was busy with, not until she is ready to tell him herself. The two of them were still working on finding her brother, but they are making progress ad Brandon managed to find a street address that he might be living at. She asked him to send her everything he has in an email and then she'll go there in the morning or at lunch time to try and talk to him or see if they look alike or find out where he fits in all of this.
With the promise that she can call her grandparents after a bath Phoebe got up from where she sat as she and her father made their way over to the bathroom. After checking that Brandon emailed her everything Alex walked upstairs to check up on the two of them. Somehow bath and bubbles always made her daughter joyful as she splashed water everywhere and all over her father. She smiled as she observed the two of them from the bathroom door.
''Do you know the neighbourhood down on 24th street. The one close to the liquor store?'' Alex asked and Ryan nodded his head looking at her with furrowed brows.
''Yeah, and it's not one I'd recommend that you have to go to on your own.'' He warned. ''Why are you asking?''
''Surveillance for this whole promotion thing. I'll check it out tomorrow and if I'm not feeling it I'll decline it and give them my answer by the end of the week.'' She lied not wanting him to know what she was up to, or at least not until she has all the puzzle pieces and are ready to tell him the truth.''
''Okay, '' he hesitated ''just ask that someone goes out with you.'' he commented and helped Phoebe out of the bath. She was dressed in her PJ's and once she was settled into their bed he delivered on his promise that she's allowed to video call her grandparents. With the help of her father who steadied the phone in his hand she crawled over to lay across the bed with her head resting on his stomach while she waited for someone on the other end's face to appear.
''Nana!'' she chimed when she saw Theresa. ''Nana, I come a you.'' She started her statement and took her grandmother by surprise.
''Yes honey it's fine you can come to me. Don't you like it at home?''
Phoebe shook her head vigorously, as she sat up causing her father to have to sit up as well so he can hold the phone steady once again to support his daughters new position where she sat on her knees. ''Mama new baby. I her baby, no like Ah-wex.'' She explained again in case her grandmother still did not understand what she was saying.
''You don't like your mother anymore?'' Theresa asked to make sure she understood her granddaughter's broken sentences correctly. ''Well she loves you, very very much.''
''Nooooo Nana.'' Phoebe sang and Theresa looked at her son who seemed like he had no explanation for this new behaviour either. ''Yes this is what we've had to deal with for the past few days. She started hitting Alex's stomach with Barney this evening and refuses to take anything Allex gives her, not even her bottle.''
''That's a bit extreme. I thought she'd be happy about the new baby.''
''Yeah well she's not. And regardless of us telling her that we're not abandoning her or loving her any less it's not working.'' he said looking at his daughter who started jumping on the bed. In order to contain her from not falling off the bed again he had to end the call with his mother when Alex came in and put her on the floor.
''You're gonna fall of the bed bub.''
''O-kay Ah-wex.'' She said looking at her mother and made her way back onto the bed again repeating the process.
''Can I go bath while you put her in bed?'' Alex asked and Ryan nodded. Without saying a word he understood the exasperated look on his wife's face as he went downstairs to put their little monster to sleep.
The next day at lunch time Alex walked upstairs to see Brandon and asked him if he had any more information on Luca but he said he mailed her everything he had. Ryan looked through the glass of his office frowning at the serious conversation his wife had with one of his co-workers. Not strange but by their body language it seemed strange, sort of secretive and the fact that she took a phone call last night but talking inn riddles made him wonder if it was he who called her. Making a mental note that he'll check her call log tonight or just monitor the situation and ask her about it again in a few weeks. Besides he had more important things to worry about and Alex would tell him when there is something wrong he dismissed.
She drove down the street and stopped in front of the house that the GPS in the car showed. The house seemed normal, besides a broken window that was covered with tape everythig about it seemed fine. She looked around before getting out of the car and knocked on the door. A tall guy opened the door. He didn't look much older than 20 and had a modern fade hairstyle. Light skinned with dark hair and big eyes, and a dimple. Good looking actually she had to admit, dressed in a black suit, but dismissing the thought from her head as there is a chance that this guy might actually be her brother. ''Are you Luca Parrish?'' She asked and he looked at her.
''Who's asking?'' He asked and she showed her badge, upon which he nodded.
''Can I come in?'' She asked and he opened the door wider and stepped aside so she can enter. She noticed a small pack of weed on the coffee table and half a bottle of whiskey but it was the small red and black urn that caught her attention.
''I didn't do anything illegal. I don't know why you're here.'' he started and Alex took out a picture of her father and showed it to him. ''Do you know this man?'' She asked and he looked at the picture swallowed deeply and nodded. ''It's my dad. But he took off when I was about 11 or 12 and I haven't seen him since. He wasn't around much though, popped in on birthdays or when he felt like it and then be gone for days, and come back in a few weeks drunk. But then again he always was.'' Luca shrugged.
''Look lady I don't know who you are or what you want. I don't even know your name. So what's your deal?''
''I'm Alex Booth. He was my father too. '' She said looking at him. he walked around the living room and picked up two cigarette buds and stuffed it in her bag. Luca turned around and put the urn on the cabinet and Alex took this time to grab the hairbrush that was on the couch on put it in her bag as well, hoping to get some kind of DNA as proof. And hoping that it is his hairbrush.
''Who's ashes are those, if you don't mind me asking.''
''My grandmother. Was her funeral today. And she was the only family I had left and now I'm alone. So uuhhhmm, if you won't mind I'd like to wallow in self pity by finishing my whisky and smoking some weed. I hope you find the sibling that you're looking for, because it sure as hell ain't me.'' Luca dismissed sitting on the couch and taking a swig of the brown liqiour in the bottle. Wordlessly she walked out and closed the door behind her.
